


glad you're here

by ourdarkspirits



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Marauders' Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-29 18:21:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5137901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ourdarkspirits/pseuds/ourdarkspirits
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ambiguously set before the Potters died and before James lent Dumbledore his cloak, this is based on a headcanon of mine about the origins of Snuffles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	glad you're here

James was gone but due back any time. He had only been given a small job. After all they were supposed to be going into hiding. Sirius was there and Lily was in the kitchen listening to him talking to her son and her son gurgling and cooing back. It made Lily smile despite her irritation that James had asked to Sirius to stay with her. Lily Potter was perfectly capable of taking care of herself thank you very much. 

Lily walked into the sitting room and watched Sirius for a moment, her smile growing bigger when she saw just how animated Sirius was while he told Harry stories. 

"I'm glad you're here," Lily spike from her spot in the doorway to the kitchen. 

Sirius looked up, a grin spreading across his face. "I thought you said you were perfectly capable of handling yourself."

"I am," Lily retorted. "But you're keeping Harry entertained so that helps," she added in a softer voice. 

"Well at least I provide entertainment," Sirius replied with a snort. He turned back to Harry. 

"Oh please," Lily laughed. "You're glad to entertain Harry. In fact you're a big softie."

Directing his words to Harry, Sirius said, "Did you hear what your mother just said? I can assure you she is completely wrong."

Harry just giggled and reached for Sirius. Sirius offered him a finger and Harry gripped up. Then Sirius looked back at Lily. 

"I'm offended, Lily," he said, looking anything but offended. 

"It's the truth," Lily replied smiling. "You're a big softie. Look at you entertaining my son because you want."

"It's not true, Harry," Sirius protested. "I'm under duress."

"Give it up, Black. We all know the bad boy act is just that. An act."

Lily was sitting on the sofa now at Sirius's shoulder. She wasn't making eye contact with Sirius. She was much too distracted by her son. He was so young and she was still a little bit astounded that she had made him with James. 

She decided to cut off that train of thought before she got too sappy and looked at Sirius. "In fact I think you're nickname is all wrong."

"I'm quite attached to Padfoot," Sirius responded. 

The banter was easy and familiar, a continuation of the friendship that had begun developing between them in sixth year. A brief moment of ease in a time where she felt like all she did was worry. She worried about James and Harry. About their friends. About what would happen if they lost. So she took any moments where some of that worry dropped away. 

"I'm not," Lily said. "I think Snuffles suits you much better."

“You’re not calling me Snuffles,” Sirius protested.

At that moment the door opened, and James appeared from beneath his invisibility cloak. “Who’s calling Padfoot Snuffles?” he asked.

“I am,” Lily answered at the same time that Sirius said, “No one.”

“Why are you calling Sirius Snuffles?” James inquired curiously as he walked over to where Lily was sitting and collapsed down next to her.

“Have you seen him with Harry?” Lily asked incredulously.

James looked over to where his friend was still idly entertaining their son while still managing to look offended at the thought that he was anything but edgy and cool.

“I see what you mean,” James conceded. “Definitely a Snuffles.”

“Absolutely not,” Sirius protested. “I may put up with Evans calling me Snuffles, but not my best mate. Tell them, Harry. I will not be called Snuffles.”

“Sorry, Snuffles,” Lily said with a grin, “And it’s Potter to you.”

“She’s right, mate,” James added, “Snuffles is definitely going to stick.”

And it did. Lily was particularly proud of the name she had come up with for Sirius and made a point of calling him that in the last few times she saw him. And later when Lily and James’s son was at Hogwarts and he was a fugitive from the law, Sirius would suggest that they call him Snuffles so that no one would learn of his correspondence with his godson.


End file.
